"Hahaha! What did I just hear?"
The bald Pokémon hunter laughed so hard that he clutched his belly, his face turning red with amusement.
"We don't have the strength?" he repeated mockingly. "You're saying that we—the mighty hunters—don't have the strength to take you down? All because of a Beedrill? And not just any Beedrill—a level 27 Beedrill?"
The other Pokémon hunters joined in the laughter, their confidence soaring. They saw Renjiro standing there calmly, seemingly unfazed by their jeers. The bald hunter's amusement only grew, thinking the boy was either incredibly brave or incredibly foolish.
"This kid must have been dropped on his head as a baby," the bald man said to his comrades between fits of laughter. "Doesn't he see the four of us here? Does he really believe a single Beedrill can defeat us?"
Then his face darkened, and he barked, "Enough games! Hand over that Beedrill and the Nidoking you caught! Or don't blame me if things get ugly!"
The bald hunter glared at Renjiro, his fists clenched, his expression fierce.
"Boss…" one of the hunters tugged at the bald man's sleeve. His voice was low, uneasy. "I think… I think this guy is Renjiro."
"Renjiro?" the bald man echoed, blinking. For a moment, the name didn't register.
"Yeah," the hunter continued, his voice a little shaky. "He's the one everyone's been talking about lately. The number one genius in Shuangyang City. The kid who doesn't even have a professional trainer license but still beat several junior trainers with just a Beedrill. People say his strength is on par with intermediate trainers."
The bald man's eyes widened slightly. He stared at Renjiro, who stood calmly with his arms folded, watching them like a predator watches prey.
The tension rose.
Still, the bald hunter sneered, trying to mask his growing unease. "So what? He's just one kid. There are four of us. We've caught stronger Pokémon than him. Even that level-40 Nidoking wasn't a match for us. What's this punk going to do with a level-27 Beedrill?"
His men looked at each other uncertainly, but the bald man pressed on, forcing a grin.
"Listen up, boy. I don't care if you're Renjiro or some other so-called genius. Today, we're going to show you what happens when you mess with Pokémon hunters!"
He threw back his head and laughed again, though this time his laugh sounded hollow, forced.
Renjiro didn't flinch. He looked at the bald hunter with a calm, almost bored expression.
"Do you know what happened to the last person who said that to me?" he asked quietly, his voice as cold as steel.
The bald man blinked. "What happened?" he asked automatically.
"They died."
Renjiro's lips curved into a faint smile. "And now… it's your turn."
"Beedrill. Attack."
The air seemed to tremble as Beedrill shot forward, its wings a blur. The Agility-enhanced speed made the Pokémon vanish from sight.
"Wha—?" The bald hunter's eyes widened as he lost sight of the insect.
"Be careful!" he shouted, but the warning came too late.
Puchi!
The sickening sound of a spear piercing flesh echoed across the ruined building.
Beedrill's arm-lance had driven straight into the bald man's gut, injecting its deadly Poison Barb toxin. The hunter gasped, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He looked down, seeing the Beedrill's spike buried deep in his body.
His knees buckled.
"I… I'm going to die…" was his final thought as the venom raced through his veins.
With a heavy thump, he collapsed to the ground, his face turning an eerie shade of purple as the poison finished its work.
The three remaining hunters froze, staring in horror at their fallen leader.
"He's dead… The boss is dead…" one of them whispered, his voice trembling.
Before they could recover, a cry split the air.
"ROARRR!"
The fallen hunter's Krookodile howled in anguish. A single tear rolled down its scaly cheek. Despite its master's cruelty, the Pokémon had loved him.
With a final cry, Krookodile lunged at the abandoned building's steel structure. With a crash, it drove its neck onto a protruding rebar.
Blood gushed as the steel bar pierced through its throat.
"Beedrill," Renjiro said softly. "End its pain. Twineedle."
Beedrill nodded, its lances flashing.
Puff!
The strike was swift, merciful. Krookodile's suffering ended.
Ding!
"Your Beedrill defeated the level 36 Krookodile. Gained 2034 EXP."
Ding!
"You gained 90 combat points. Current combat value: 3090."
Renjiro glanced at Beedrill. The insect Pokémon had leveled up to 28.
"Now it's your turn," Renjiro said, his voice like ice.
The three remaining hunters backed away, terror in their eyes.
"Don't come any closer!"
But Renjiro didn't stop.
"Beedrill. Twineedle, take out their Pokémon."
"Buzz!"
Beedrill vanished again.
The hunters' panic reached its peak.
"Fire Spin! Charmeleon, burn it!"
"Shadow Ball! Honchkrow, quick!"
"Bullet Seed! Mongoose, help!"
Attacks flew in every direction, desperate, wild. But Beedrill danced between them, untouchable.
In a blink, it struck.
Bang!
Charmeleon slammed into the wall, eyes swirling, defeated.
Ding!
"Your Beedrill defeated the level 35 Charmeleon. Gained 2003 EXP."
Ding!
"+87 combat points. Current: 3117."
Bang! Bang!
Honchkrow and Mongoose fell next, their bodies crumpled in defeat.
"Run!"
The two surviving hunters turned and bolted, their fear overwhelming.
"Run?" Renjiro's smile turned cruel. "Do you think you can outrun Beedrill?"
"Go."
Beedrill shot forward.
One hunter, in a last act of desperation, raised his arm, a hidden weapon aimed at Renjiro.
But he never got the chance to fire.
Slash!
Beedrill's lance swept across his throat. The man fell without a sound.
The last hunter's scream was cut short as Beedrill caught up.
In moments, all four Pokémon hunters lay dead, their bodies sprawled across the crumbling ruins.
Renjiro stood among them, silent, expressionless.
"I suppose I'm starting to look more and more like the villain in this story," he murmured.
But he felt no regret. No sorrow. No pity.
It was as if he hadn't slain four men, but four pests.
---